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Using interpersonal communication strategies to encourage science conversations on social media

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  • Curtis Martin
  • Bertrum H MacDonald

Abstract

Today, many science communicators are using social media to share scientific information with citizens, but, as research has shown, fostering conversational exchanges remains a challenge. This largely qualitative study investigated the communication strategies applied by individual scientists and environmental non-governmental organizations on Twitter and Instagram to determine whether particular social media practices encourage two-way conversations between science communicators and citizens. Data from Twitter and Instagram posts, interviews with the communicators, and a survey of audience members were triangulated to identify emergent communication strategies and the resulting engagement; provide insight into why particular practices are employed by communicators; and explain why audiences choose to participate in social media conversations with communicators. The results demonstrate that the application of interpersonal communication strategies encourage conversational engagement, in terms of the number of comments and unique individuals involved in conversations. In particular, using selfies (images and videos), non-scientific content, first person pronoun-rich captions, and responding to comments result in the formation of communicator-audience relationships, encouraging two-way conversations on social media. Furthermore, the results indicate that Instagram more readily supports the implementation of interpersonal communication strategies than Twitter, making Instagram the preferred platform for promoting conversational exchanges. These findings can be applicable to diverse communicators, subjects, audiences, and environments (online and offline) in initiatives to promote awareness and understanding of science.

Suggested Citation

  • Curtis Martin & Bertrum H MacDonald, 2020. "Using interpersonal communication strategies to encourage science conversations on social media," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 15(11), pages 1-32, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:plo:pone00:0241972
    DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0241972
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Richard Van Noorden, 2014. "Online collaboration: Scientists and the social network," Nature, Nature, vol. 512(7513), pages 126-129, August.
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    1. Talib Hussain & Dake Wang & Benqian Li, 2024. "Stakeholder Perspectives on the Role of Social Media in Urban Green Space, Land Management, and Resilience in Gilgit-Baltistan," Land, MDPI, vol. 13(7), pages 1-28, June.
    2. Sun, Yunpeng & Jia, Ruoya & Razzaq, Asif & Bao, Qun, 2024. "Social network platforms and climate change in China: Evidence from TikTok," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 200(C).
    3. Elizabeth Asomani Obeng & Peter Agyekum Boateng & Comfort Agyekum Boateng, 2024. "Decoding the Language of Strategy: The Role of Interpersonal Communication in Shaping Organizational Culture," International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science, International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS), vol. 8(2), pages 377-391, February.

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